The decision comes due to a huge surge in Covid cases.

The Cabinet has agreed that midnight will be the new closing time for bars, nightclubs, and restaurants in an effort to combat the rising number of Covid cases. The new rule will come into place from Thursday 18 November onwards, RTE reports. The decision comes due to a surge in the number of cases of Covid-19 in recent weeks. A previous curfew of 11.30pm placed on the hospitality sector was lifted on 22 October and regular opening hours returned. Taoiseach Michael Martin had promised earlier today that an appropriate notice period would be given to those working in the hospitality sector regarding any decision made. The Cabinet has also agreed that working from home advice will take effect from Friday 19 November. It has said that Covid certs are to be required for cinemas and theatres but not gyms or hairdressers. The Cabinet is meeting today to consider the next steps in dealing with the Covid situation, such as working from home, stricter enforcement of Digital Covid Certificates and antigen tests, and booster shots. The government was last night presented with the prospect that rising cases could see up to 500 people requiring ICU care in the coming weeks. “The overall objective is to prevent people getting very sick, going into hospitals, ICUs. We simply have to limit the increase we are experiencing at the moment,” Taoiseach Michael Martin said. He added that the situation demands “fairly quick action".